his last days in Kanchipuram worshipping Sri Ekāmbanātha. He, like his ancestors, had a special devotion to the Lord of Tiruttani. Right from the days of his grandfather, it was a custom that on Krttikā (star) days only, could the Tiruttani temple be visited, if at all. This is in practice to this day. This is possibly to indicate the strength of unidirectional concentration. He spoke softly pleasant words in chaste Tamil language. As a munsif, his judgements were applauded by several higher authorities. He was respected by one and all for his tolerance and integrity. He put into practice the kural: "Olukkam viluppam taralān uyirinum ōmpappatum" ("Since a principle's life-style bestows greatness, it should be cherished more than one's life"). He was regular in his diary-keeping, which he started on 15 September 1864, at the age of 17. He maintained an account book, visited specific temples on specifics days, with daily prayers which included Śivapuranam, Śiva kavacam, Kandaranubhuti, Saiva patikam. He wrote Tanikaiyyān tunai 32 times and composed a verse on Tanikēsan daily. Thus a firm faith in the Lord, and the habit of thanking him all the time, seem to be characteristic of V.T.S., as seen from his diary. As his condition improved from dire poverty to one of comfort, he increased his services to temples, such as making arrangements for lighting of oil lamps on regular basis, donating utensils, bells, etc., for temple use, renovating temples, and helping installation of deities so far unattended. Further, he helped complete the construction of the Rishi Karunīkar mutt in Tiruttani in 1902. In 1905 he took the initiative to re-establish Palamutircōlai, one of the six places of importance to Lord Murukan. He was married to Dayammal on 25 June 1868, who shared his devotion to Lord Murukan and remained a perfect companion to V.T.S. in his spiritual journey. In short, the life of V.T.S. can be described by the three D's: Discipline, Devotion and Dharman. He attained the Lord's feet on 17 April 1909, dying at the age of 62, after seeing his life's mission successfully completed by the Lord's grace. The Mission In 1871, when V.T.S. was working in the district court at Manjakuppam, dikshitars (priests) of Chidambaram temple, by way of evidence in a court case presented quotations from several literary works. One such quotation included lines from the Tiruppugal (625). "Tātu māmalar mutiyālē ... Vēta nūnmurai valuvāmē